BTS Suga's Ideal Type: Gender Is Not Important

In a comment that has been largely overlooked by both Korean and overseas K-pop media, Suga from Bangtan Boys has stated that his ideal type is not restricted to females only.

Despite the lack of official media attention, there has been considerable discussion among fans — mainly within the Army fandom, BTS’ official fanclub — as to whether this is Suga’s admission of bisexuality (or pansexuality), a mistake lost in translation, or something in between.

Last week, BTS gave an interview to Japanese magazine Oricon Style, promoting their Japanese album Danger. At a first glance, the interview was pretty standard fare, containing all of the usual questions that interviewers ask during promotional period, and that we probably know by heart: What is the concept behind this album? Where would you go on a dream date?

Halfway through the interview, the interviewer asked Suga: “What do you notice first when you look at girls?” His reply was:

I focus on personality and atmosphere. I don’t have an ideal type and it’s not limited to a girl.

Is this a genuine coming out or something lost in translation? There is definitely room for error, seeing as Suga likely gave his answer in Korean, which was translated into Japanese for the magazine, which was translated into English for our benefit. That being said, the statement becomes even more unambiguous in Korean.

The line “not limited to a girl” was translated from the Japanese phrase “異性に限らず”. Japanese and Korean both derive a large percentage of their vocabulary from Chinese characters: 異性 (i sei) here translates directly into Korean as 이성 (i seong). Both are derived from the same characters which literally mean “opposite gender”. Suga is saying that his view of an ideal type is not restricted to only the opposite gender, but encompasses all genders.

From his reply, it seems to me that Suga is implying that he simply does not see gender as related to attraction: in the same breath, he says that he looks solely at the personality and atmosphere surrounding the person, instead of worrying about gender. This could align with a definition of pansexuality — individuals who are attracted to people regardless of gender.

That being said, I wouldn’t want to label Suga as anything that he doesn’t identify as until he comes out and confirms it for himself.

I don’t want to rule out a mistranslation, either — it is entirely possible that Suga meant that he judges based solely on personality, regardless of gender and attraction. However, the implications of Suga possibly stating that he is bi or pansexual are quite large; it would make Suga the first idol to admit any sexual orientation other than heterosexual and place him in a handful of Korean celebrities in general that have done so.

South Korean society remains considerably unfriendly to sexual minorities, and same-sex marriage is still not legal. Actor Hong Seok-cheon is one of the very few celebrities that has managed to come out while remaining a successful celebrity. He has accomplished this largely by staying out of any political or social discussions relating to his orientation. On the other hand, filmmaker and active LGBT rights activist Kim Jo Kwang-soo has stirred up controversy last year by announcing his marriage to his boyfriend of nine years Kim Seung-hwan. Their ceremony was public but considered illegal in South Korea.

Even in the international fandom, there are definite homophobic sentiments that have surfaced in light of this discussion. Comments have been written online “in defense” of Suga in the face of these “accusations”, saying that these are all just mistranslations.

It’s sad that fans feel the need to “defend” Suga, as if being anything other than heterosexual is a horrible crime. While much of the fan response has been supportive and encouraging, there remains a large portion who feel that not being heterosexual is negative and needs to be defended against. But Suga being non-heterosexual is not a bad thing. To be called gay should not be considered an insult, regardless of how some people might use the term.

SHINee’s Jonghyun sent waves of discussion throughout both the Korean online forums and internationally, after he changed his profile picture to a poster put up by a bisexual and transgender student at Sungkonghoe University, protesting the injustice of the repeal of a proposed anti-discrimination law in the South Korean legislature.

He also reached out to her via private message, comforting her and saying that he understands somewhat her struggle as he is also a minority in the public eye as a celebrity. Jo Kwon from 2AM , as well, has been performing this year as the lead role in the musical Priscilla: Queen of the Desert; the story follows character Adam in his role as a drag queen, empowering queer and transgender individuals in their struggle for acceptance. Jo Kwon received negative feedback from the public for taking the role, but he was firm in his decision and in his approval of the play.

Do you think that Suga intended for his comments to be interpreted as a statement of pansexuality or bisexuality? Do you think that more idols should be coming out as LGBT allies or as LGBT themselves in the current South Korean sociopolitical climate?

Related

It has not been overlooked. There is a reason that only ifans reacted to this- it is just simply not an accurate translation. Other native speakers have weighed in that the phrase in question was implying something closer to ideal type “not just limited to romantic partners.” It is not wrong to point out that this speculation is based on faulty assumptions. This is a real person we are talking about and turning his sexuality into some public debate is at best pointless and at worse disrespectful, regardless of how he identifies.

Firestarter

Oh look, Seoulbeats reaching to conclusions using a mistranslated article.

Jesus christ, maybe this was just a clever way of dodging the question, and shouldn’t be heralded as Suga being LGBT-friendly in a country that is one of the worst for being so?

disqus_4EWEsFcGF6

In their song Miss Right, in the Chinese radio show (with Jia, Zhoumi and Fei as hosts), anywhere they talk about their ideal types, what I get from Suga is that there shouldn’t be a set standard for who to love as a person, like the way people give specific descriptions “nice cute girls” “someone with double eyelids” or name specific idols/actors/actresses as their ideal types because why should there even be a question as to who or what is your ideal type, anyone you meet can be the right person. What is important, for him, is your feelings for one another.

soferd castro

True, we like armys that we are we should accept min suga for who he is and how he thinks

Cynthia Marie

It’s been overlooked by Korean and Japanese fans for a reason: what he said didn’t translate well into English. After all, it did go from Korean to Japanese to English, there is bound to be something that get’s a bit hazy along the way. There have been multiple Korean and Japanese native speakers who have responded to i-fans saying that it was an awkward sentence to translate and what he most likely meant was “I look at these things in all the people around me, not just with love interests.” I have multiple straight friends that, when asked what type of guy/girl they like, they respond with “well, I like them to be this, that, or the other kind of person, but I look for that in all people I meet.” Doesn’t mean they are covertly outing themselves, just that they like the people around them to be a certain way because those are the people they mesh with. Even if Suga is queer in some way, would he come out, after only 1 1/2 years since debut, while living in one of the most notoriously homophobic countries? and in a Japanese interview, not even coming out in his own country? It just doesn’t make sense – the translation, or the situation.

As a pansexual myself, I would love to see queer idols coming out and showing support for LGBTQ people…but I don’t think that’s what is happening here.

Miss Arcadian

Wait a second…I might be pansexual, then.

Nahla

I seriously haven’t encountered this “pansexual” term before. Can anyone enlighten me on the difference between bisexual and pansexual? Aren’t they basically the same? Sorry, there are too many labels nowadays and I just can’t keep up..

Dylan Parker

bisexual refers to a person who is attracted to the “two” genders of the gender binary, male and female. While pansexual refers to a person who has the capability of being attracted to a person regardless of what gender they identify with, whether that’s male, female, intersex, transgender etc.
A simple way to remember the difference is that bi relates to two (bicycle, bilateral etc.)
hope that helps a bit :)

You’re thinking of a person’s biological sex…the comment is about gender. People can be born as one sex, but identify as a different gender. Pansexuals are people that can feel sexual, emotional, or romantic attractions to all people regardless of gender identity. So that means male, female, intersex, transgender, genderqueer, third gender, androgynous, genderles…etc. ^_^ does that clear it up a bit?

I understand, unconvincing as it is to me. But thanks for taking the time to reply.

Russ

Why is this even an issue? The translation could be wrong, I mean we’re not dealing with just once but twice here. And even if it isn’t, so friggin what?
How and who people love isn’t a concern unless you happen to be one of them involved. If they’re legally capable to consent (meaning that they are human and not a child) I don’t see anything wrong.
(smh) 21st century and we’re still worrying about this. I’m losing faith in the human race.

Kelli Mikulec

I never expected to run into you here instead of the other site I see you on all the time. I won’t mention my user name from there but we have a mutual troll issue…. hope that’s enough of a clue. Stumbled on this article while googling something else and I agree that there is too much room for error and it’s not even something we should have anything to say about.

This particular statement has been blown up into something it’s not. If you want something to talk about, how about his Cypher Pt.3 lyrics instead, where he alludes to performing oral sex on both female and male listeners….

Seren Ryuu

But it’s important to remember that that line itself is ambiguous too.
The line before it talks about how his voice will “turn you on,” which can allude to it being that his voice can make people go insane (not necessarily medically insane).
Personally, as someone who DOES get turned on by really nice voices, it can be ambiguous.

Lily

Yeah, to come to HONGKONG!! This is what he says. “Whether it be a man or woman, my flexible tongue movements will send them to Hong Kong with my raps. He even says Hong Kong!! Hongkongeul!! 홍콩을!!!! You do know his audience can be 7 to 8 year olds right? Hahaha. Learn Korean!! Does no one know this!! Sorry, I’ve just heard this a lot!! But, he is just saying he can make them come to Hong Kong ;) ;)

Kelli Mikulec

I was just scrolling through old articles but your comment made me pause. Yes it mentions Hong Kong but you are using a literal translation. Slang is very much a part of most cultures including Korean culture. When he is saying his tongue will send you to Hong Kong he means his voice and rap is so good it will give you an orgasm. He’s not saying he is directly having sex with you but he is definitely implying that he’s so good he will make you orgasm. It’s slang and it’s used very effectively. Bts isn’t shy about controversial subjects and they are supporters of many things including equal rights. Rap Monster promoted Macklemore’s song about equality and specifically said that he liked it even more when he realized what it was about. I can’t say one way or another about Suga’s sexuality and it’s none of my business since I’m not the one he will be sleeping with. Sexually suggestive lyrics, hidden meanings, slang, and clever phrasing are all part of Bts’s songs as well as Suga’s when he is publishing as AgustD. People need to realize that idols are humans and at their age they are going to date, have sex, and have dirty thoughts. Many groups use suggestive phrasing to tease and sometimes they even admit later that they put something in just to see if someone notices.

Yeah, you’re absolutely right. People think that K-pop idols are innocent people, they’re not allowed to think about anything unholy because oh gee if you do, the power of Christ shall punish you! That’s complete nonsense. Like you said, Kpop idols are humans as well, just like you, me, everyone. We all have this thing in common. I think this mentality of idols being ‘innocent’ is mostly caused by the overused ‘aegyo’. You see idols acting cute and childish, even if they don’t want their image be cute. And why? Because the Korean (basically the Asian) beauty standard prefers cute, pretty and petite. ‘Cute’, ‘Childish’ are characteristics that belong to a child, and these childs are stereotypically innocent. I guess that’s were the idea came from. But then again, it’s also a Korean tradition to have manners and respect others, so it could be anything. But oh gee, watch out when the fans spot a line that might suggest something, that might ruin their innocence.

ngmcd

I don’t speak Korean or Japanese but I don’t think you need to here. I think that this is just an over-the-top analysis of something a 21 year old pop singer said – it would be nice and heartening if it were true but even this article is contributing in its own way to the hype. These are Korean pop singers, managed by agencies with tightly-controlled images and personalities – unfortunately, we shouldn’t credit young idol stars who probably haven’t experienced much of the world with too much.

Iuhiuh

this should not have been made into an article….
I usually enjoy seoulbeats editorials but using an ambiguous mistranslated sentence as a topic that may potentially harm an idols career is not right :/ I would suggest removing this article before it potentially gets out of hand

Sophia

oh don’t be silly…..you keep it up Seoul beats, there is no wrong with a debate.

ok

there’s no “debating” a person’s sexuality. this isn’t foreign policy.

cakey

Is it possible that this answer was tailored for a Japanese audience? I was under the impression that homosexuality is sort of fetishized by young females in Japan (i.e. yaoi) and having a member of your pretty boy band be open to that sort of thing would be a positive thing. If this is an ignorant statement, feel free to tear me apart because it DOES sound pretty stupid.

There’s also the fact that international fans tend to have a less conservative mindset. Josh Hutcherson from the Hunger Games said something similar, and nobody cared then either.

I honestly don’t think this answer says anything about Suga’s sexual orientation. His management would have complete control over what he says in interviews. Even idols who are 100% straight can’t even admit to having girlfriends or dating in the past most of the time.

find_nothing_here

Fans enjoy shipping, but actually coming out is a completely different situation to most of them.

Sophia

Wooooow, a lot of commenters really have their panties in a bunch….seoulbeats, don’t cave to this silly pressure. There is nothing wrong with a debate & you haven’t said anything wrong or bad.

No one says anything when idols are making out with each other calling it “fan service” But Suga makes this comment, people talk about it & all of a sudden “this could damage his career” get over it

Cynthia Marie

Fanservice is Fanservice, this is his life. Male idols use homoeroticism as a gimmick to get girls to dampen their panties, this isn’t the same thing. And there actually is an article on this site about why exactly that’s not okay, but I’ll keep to this topic here. What people are doing is playing detective over a person’s sexual orientation and that is wrong in so many ways. A person’s identity, sexual or otherwise, is not something for others to debate. It can harmful to a person’s self image, and while I know Suga isn’t going to be seeing this, it is still disrespectful to think we have the right to debate his sexuality like he’s some test subject in a lab.

The fact is this COULD damage his career severely. This article mentions Hong Seok Cheon, but what it doesn’t mention is him being basically blacklisted for years after his coming out. What it does say is that he only gets a pass because he stays out of discussions about queer people – because Koreans still aren’t open enough to queer people. Girls may think it’s hot for guys to make out or whatever, but God forbid any of the are actually queer. Korea is NOT queer friendly, and this could especially hurt someone like Yoongi who hasn’t been in the industry long.

Sophia

I think you need to take this article for what it is….a opportunity for discussion. You are taking this out of context & blowing it up into a big deal….its not that serious. Its NOT his life, its a discussion about what it might mean.

I mention fanservice, because i find it pretty odd that what is consider fanservice with some pretty overt homosexual tone is ok, with gifs & pictures all over the place, but suddenly we’ve got to be careful what we say….cos it could be damage his career? Get over yourself

Cynthia Marie

This is his life, we are talking about him and his sexuality…it is his life. And that is exactly why we should be careful with what we say. If you don’t care about what reprocussions he could face if these rumors gain traction then that is your own issue of disinterest, but I am a fan of Yoongi’s who cares enough about him to be careful. I don’t think I’m the one who needs to get over themselves…

Sophia

Well i will say this….because your his fan, you can not see the article for what it is. Its because overblown reactions such as this that it potentially could become a big deal. Not you specifically, but some Army fans need be cool & let it go…..its just a discussion, not a campaign to out him or anything. Calls for the article to be removed & outrage about the discussion just makes you guys look silly….

Cynthia Marie

Because I’m his fan, I see better what this could be /for him/. There are a lot of Army fans overreacting, and they should calm down, but the thing is there are a lot of people (not here) who were spreading this around basically screaming “SUGA IS BI!!!” Even tweeting them and hastagging it, so people came on just as strong the other way to try and stop this from getting to them. If people were talking about the implications of queer idols /in general/ and how they could affect change, that’s one thing, but none of that is happening. People are only talking about Yoongi, who I, as a fan, am worried for…

Firestarter

Or maybe this is once again Seoulbeats trying to take the moral high ground by forcing debates about sexuality where there isn’t one? Why is it I’ve only seen this event quoted here and not anywhere else on English speaking forums?

find_nothing_here

I’ve seen this other places actually, but it happened a while ago.

Sophia

Wow are all BTS fans this self righteous, or just the few on here? Cos man you should hear yourselves. Its pretty funny and slightly embarrassing….when did Army’s become the fandom to mock?

Firestarter

I don’t care for this irrelevant group. All I know is that Seoulbeats has done this before and should be taken to task about it.

find_nothing_here

Naw this person just likes to start shit because they’re all edgy and stuff.

Paris

The translation I read made it sound like he was saying that he looks for the same qualities in all the people he lets into his life, platonic friends as well as potential lovers. Which is presumably why it hasn’t been a big deal in Japan & S Korea where nothing was lost in translation.

find_nothing_here

The thing (at least as I heard it) was they were being asked about girls; so it’s a little odd that he would suddenly change the direction of the conversation, but who knows, maybe he was just sick of the ideal type question.

As far as I know though, the “not limited to the opposite sex” part was translated correctly though.

It’s nice that he’s willing to be friends with both guys and girls though; I’m so tired of male idols who buy into the whole “bro-code” shit. Someone needs to save him from those dreads he has now though.

find_nothing_here

I’ll cop to wondering about this, but publishing an article on it is more than a little inappropriate. It’s like the fangirls that go into Key’s instagram asking if he’s gay and and posting things like “Jongkey <3" Discussing your ideas casually on a forum is fine, nobody is going to take you seriously. If you're a news website, however informal, there's more potential for it to effect the idol's career.

ok

dang at how terrible this article is.

Dalia

I WOULDN’T CARE WHAT HE IS I WILL SUPPORT HIM

alison rocio

I love

kitkat

I don’t care if Suga wasn’t talking about the same gender or if he was. Either way, I’m just happy that he doesn’t give a crap about who you are, and just focuses on if you have a good personality! Also, it would it make great if more LGBT idols came out. Whether or not an idol is LGBT, shouldn’t determine if you should continue to support them or to leave them.

Pomagranite16

Infinite’s Hoya isn’t gay, but he agree a gay role in a K-drama called “Reply 1997”. He did a wonderful job and the entire show just tugs at your heart violently. He really wanted to play the part becuase he felt like it would to the gay community some justice.

geeky megan

tbh I love suga he is 1 of my favs in bts an I would d8 him but its his choice if he likes boys or girls im gonna give 100% to him. and I think you don’t need a type to be happy you just need to keep your eyes open. I hope suga is happy with his life because he should know im here for him

Yeoja Taehyung Kpopperz

actually i dont really mind if he was a gay.. i will just support him.. suga fighting! bts fighting!

Celestial Lasiez

Nah, it’s not the issue this article is making it out to be. I guarantee if he did say something along the lines of this, media and fans alike would be all over it. Also, for their society a confession of this nature is really big. I seriously don’t think Suga would causally release such information about himself like that, especially considering that for their society it could have harmed the success of BTS. The fans weren’t defending him per se, but rather making sure that no one thought he said something that he actually didn’t. If Suga himself were to actually confess a different orientation, fans would have no reason to dismiss the words of Suga himself as being a mistake or being mistranslated.

jeemean

and i’m here like then it is possible to yoonmin to happen Xd

Ananya Bose

thing is i never knew about this like idk if it was overlooked but like suga totally seems hetrosexual to me but if he was gay which i highly doubt like u said he might be pan or bi…if he is one of the two then its not wrong i love suga to death coz im just like him i have never looked at the face i always look at personality even tho im straight i never ever just look at the face…sad how fans reacted…coz i would love suga no matter and he said he does like girls so im even more happy :’) the only thing i probably have is my personality :’) suga is an inspiration for me and if any fans would go against him if he came out then i will be there to defend him
but im quite sure this is all a misunderstanding and it was lost in translation thats what i think :)

Melissa Hanung

Excusme me, but what Suga meant is that he focuses more on atmosphere/ personality/ energy when he’s finding compatibility with a person, and this applies to him in EVERYTHING, like with people he (decided to) worked with, friends he hung out with, etc, and this belief/ approach is general and NOT LIMITED to just when it comes to girls problem. That’s what Suga meant. Sigh.

I still think this was a bad idea, but it’s amusing to still see all the people still poring in to “defend” him.

She asked how to spell orange

it had to be someone from Texas…

Mochi Chimchim

Having watched numerous BTS interviews, I have come across this one and it did catch my attention that Suga said this, however, I must agree with seattlantis that what he meant was “not just limited to romantic partners”. Suga in general does not really like the media to put too much focus on BTS’ “romantic lives” (if any!), so he tends to answer in such fashion.

I wonder why everyone’s upset about this. Wether the translation was right or not, it doesn’t matter. Suga can like whatever he wants, it’s his life.
SK still despises gay people and that’s fucking stupid. It’s not your problem so why care? So what if you see two boys holding hands together? Are you triggered because you’re not seeing what you want to see? Well here’s a news flash: You don’t own these people. They are free to do what they want in their life. I really want this to change, not only in SK but everywhere. I’m straight but seriously, Christianity and the other religions need to stop thinking they have control over the world. Your time is over. And your attention on these people should do as well.